Like what you see? Help keep it going! This ad-free site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh content coming your way every day. Thank you!
Not every great The Rolling Stones song needed stadium-sized ambition or philosophical depth to leave a mark. Short and Curlies thrives on pure attitude, turning relationship disaster into something strangely entertaining and impossible not to move to. Buried inside the swagger of It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll is a track that sounds like a late-night argument stumbling through a smoky blues club while the band casually reminds everyone they could outplay almost anybody when they returned to their roots. Mick Jagger delivers sarcasm with a grin, Keith Richards keeps everything grounded, and somehow emotional chaos ends up sounding like a very good time.
Original title: She’s Got You By The Balls Written by: Jagger/Richard Recorded: Dynamic Sounds Studios, Kingston, Jamaica, Nov. 25-30 and Dec. 6.21 1972; Rolling Stones Mobile, Stargroves (Mick Jagger’s house), Newbury, England, Apr. 10-15 1974; Island Recording Studios, London, England, May 20-25 1974
Mick Jagger: vocals Keith Richards: rhythm guitar, backing vocals Mick Taylor: lead guitar Bill Wyman: bass Charlie Watts: drums Guest musicians: Ian Stewart (piano)
More about Short and Curlies by The Rolling Stones
*By Marcelo Sonaglioni
Short and Curlies and the Stones’ Taste for Chaos
By the time the It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll album arrived in 1974 The Rolling Stones had already perfected the art of sounding dangerously loose while remaining completely in control. Short and Curlies may not be one of the album’s biggest titles, but it captures the band leaning comfortably into their rough-edged blues roots with a grin that feels both sarcastic and slightly exhausted. Instead of romance, the song focuses on manipulation, frustration, and the kind of relationship drama that sounds almost comedic once filtered through Mick Jagger’s swaggering delivery. There is nothing subtle about the lyrics either. Jagger throws aside poetic restraint almost immediately, delivering blunt insults and darkly funny observations over a rolling boogie rhythm that sounds like it wandered out of a smoky bar sometime around 1958 and accidentally landed in the middle of the 1970s.
A different voice in the story
One interesting aspect of Short and Curlies is the perspective from which the story unfolds. Unlike many classic Stones songs where the narrator speaks directly about his own troubles, this time the voice sounds more like a friend mocking somebody trapped inside a disastrous relationship. The woman in question completely dominates the situation, knowing exactly how to manipulate her partner emotionally and financially. Jagger paints the picture with sharp humor and deliberately exaggerated frustration, turning domestic chaos into entertainment.
The title itself comes from British slang linked to the expression “have somebody by the short and curlies”, meaning total control over another person. Of course, Jagger being Jagger, he wastes no time replacing euphemisms with something far more direct. The result is one of the band’s funniest and most openly cynical relationship songs, delivered with the same mischievous energy that often made the Stones sound like they were both celebrating and ridiculing human behavior at the same time.
Recorded across three different worlds
Although Short and Curlies appeared on It’s Only Rock ’n Roll in 1974, its origins actually go back to the earlier Goats Head Soup sessions in Jamaica. The track was later reshaped in Munich before additional work took place at Mick Jagger’s country house, Stargroves, eventually reaching its final form at Island Studios in London. That long recording journey may explain why the song feels both raw and carefully assembled at once.
The loose blues-rock structure hides an impressive amount of musical precision underneath. The track moves with the relaxed confidence of musicians who know exactly when not to overplay. Rather than chasing complexity, the Stones focused on groove, attitude, and chemistry, which had always been one of their greatest strengths anyway.
Ian Stewart steals the opening moments
The first thing listeners hear is Ian Stewart’s lively piano introduction, which immediately establishes the song’s boogie-woogie atmosphere. Stewart had famously selective tastes and usually only performed on tracks he genuinely enjoyed, often leaving other keyboard duties to musicians like Nicky Hopkins or Billy Preston. His playing here gives the song much of its personality.
Soon afterward, Mick Taylor joins with sharp slide guitar work that cuts cleanly through the rhythm section. Keith Richards stays mostly focused on supporting the groove with steady rhythm guitar, while Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman lock into a shuffle beat that sounds effortless. Watts especially seems completely at home in this style, pushing the song forward without ever overpowering it.
Echoes of Midnight Rambler
Musically Short and Curlies occasionally recalls Midnight Rambler from Let It Bleed, particularly in parts of its melody and swaggering blues structure. Yet the mood here feels less threatening and more playful, almost like the band decided to parody relationship misery while simultaneously turning it into a danceable barroom jam.
The song also serves as another reminder of how effective the Stones could be when reconnecting with traditional blues and rock ’n’ roll influences. Even during an era when arena rock was becoming bigger, louder, and increasingly polished, the Stones still sounded most convincing when they embraced dirt, humor, and controlled musical chaos.
Like what you see? Help keep it going! This site runs on the support of readers like you. Your donation helps cover costs and keeps fresh Rolling Stones content coming your way every day. Thank you!
Stones Data on Substack
